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Saturday, November 4, 2017

High School Reunions and Old Friends by Rachelle Ayala

There's something really special about going to class reunions and partying with the people you grew up with. For one thing, you're still around! And these days, that's a real plus. Add to that, these are people who knew you when you were a little tyke, AND they were witnesses to all your tantrums and embarrassing moments and they're still smiling. I've thought a lot about what a reunion means and realized that for people who grew up in a big city, a big, anonymous city, our high school is the equivalent of the small town we never knew. In that high school, going back to junior high and elementary school are people you knew since kindergarten. Teachers, friends, parents, and classmates.

Once we leave high school, we leave the only "small town" we ever knew and end up in "the world." How sad, but at the same time, how wonderful to know that we still had the community within the high school--the football team, the spirit, the togetherness, and the friendships.

Here are some pictures from my reunion. [I'm the one with the glasses, long hair and red blouse].

"I see you as the kindergartner I met in the sandbox. I see you as the third grader hanging on the rings and the fifth grader socking the sockball out of the field. I see you in junior high school playing in the orchestra or running the mile, and I see you in high school yelling your heart out with the Pep Club. I see you at eighteen going out into the world with that unquenchable Banning Pilot Spirit. And now, I still see you, my friend, with all your wisdom, love, tears, and experience. And I love you because being with you brings us back to those unforgettable days when we all cheered for ol' Banning High, in unity and victory." - Clare Chu, writing as USA Today Bestselling Author, Rachelle Ayala

Speaking of small towns, come with me to my favorite fictional town in Nebraska, Sapphire Falls, where Amber and Chad, two nerdy scientists, get makeovers and a new start during the Summer Festival.